I have always loved watches/clocks... During my Submarine/Navy days the Robot watch was the perscribed timepiece... Didn't have much $$ so could not afford much I think I still have it. Big fan of old watches Hamilton Greun etc. I have a Citizen (Hamilton Cruvex clone) watch I bought 20 some years ago nice light small. I had my dad's real Gruen from his Navy days. He gave it to me it needed repairs so I had it repaired and gave it back...I guess that made it a loan. I lean more toward thin light watches, hands and numbers only no LCD. Some of my favorites are: Glycine Falcon Combat 2000 very low price for a great classic watch! http://www.glycine-watch.ch/e/history/history.e.html Check out their watches if you must spend bigger bucks they can accommodate you. I also like a Skagen not sure which model really plain stainless mesh band and case, light-weight like not wearing a watch. Automotive inspired watch would be a Festina Berlinetta, yellow and black, the heaviest watch I've ever owned... Face is designed to look like a dash, none I've ever seen,but a dash all the same. It has day, date, stopwatch, and some other stuff I wouldn't ever use. Any watch that is designed to be seen while flying, driving fast, or being shot at would get my vote! Regards, Tony
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June 27, 2008 10:59 p.m. T_Rocco New Reader
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July 7, 2008 10:00 a.m. CarlB New Reader
Dwight Varnes wrote March 28th 2008: ".....I was just reading in my local paper last night that there is a real shortage of people to fix them."
Maybe an interesting side note re: Watchmakers
The aerospace and defense industry hired a lot of highly qualified watchmakers in the 60's and 70's as "Master Machinists" because they were the only people with experience fabricating custom built, extremely small and very precise parts (needed for precision guidance systems).
Dwight's reference mentioned $42K per year - that would be for a watch repair man. The Watch Makers - ie the people that actually design and fabricate a watch from scratch... made several times that amount annually working in the aerospace and defense industry. Many of them reached retirement age - and the companies that employed them started doubling their already high salaries just to keep them for "one more year". A friend of mine stayed "one more year" ten times because it was impossible for the company to find qualified and experienced replacements for him and his generation.
FWIW, Carl B.
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July 7, 2008 10:26 a.m. CarlB New Reader
Hello Everyone: Interesting to see a "watch" thread on a Classic Motorsports forum - but the two in many ways do go together. Lots of interesting information here... and I know a couple other guys that might be interested in joining this thread.
In the 60's I wanted a stop watch function, on a wrist watch so I could time laps at local competition events without carrying a pocket watch.... but never did find one inexpensive enough for me then.
By the 70's I was in better financial shape (out of college and out of the service)... So I started looking for a wrist watch, with a stop watch function. Did some research and found that NASA had tested several of the then worlds leading Chronographs in the 60's and had selected the Omega Speedmaster Professional for use by the Astronauts going to the moon. Thermo cycles, shock, vibration, accuracy etc.
I thought that was a pretty good endorsement for reliability and durability... so I went with that. As I recall that was around 1975... Since that time, I've had to send it back to Omega for a "refresh" a couple of times. It has taken a beating to say the least, but keeps time within seconds per week of my digital watches (close enough for me).
I've only recently looked at the price for a new one -yeiks!! - I guess I'll keep refreshing the old one. The size of the face is large enough for me to see with these now old eyes - and it still shins in the dark better than anything else I've seen.
I guess the bottom line is that it pays to buy quality... The only problem is that when I wear one of my digital watches - I keep reaching over and trying to wind it up....
FWIW, Carl B.
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July 18, 2008 12:34 p.m. David S. Wallens Editorial Director
The latest watch to tempt me so:
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July 18, 2008 1:34 p.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor
David, you're going to get me wearing a wristwatch again.
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July 18, 2008 4:50 p.m. André Rousseau Reader
Now that is nice.
A.
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July 19, 2008 12:58 a.m. David S. Wallens Editorial Director
There's another model (not a Tag-Heuer) that I'm also eying. I don't want to jinx anything, though.
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July 19, 2008 8:18 a.m. André Rousseau Reader
Again out of my price range.
Last tank of Sonoco 94 cost me $74.00, but damn I had a good week with it.
A.
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July 22, 2008 10:09 a.m. Mowog New Reader
I have a bunch of clocks and watches, too. I've been wearing a Citizen Promaster GMT Eco-Drive slide rule for about three years and it almost never leaves my wrist. It has great lume, gains ~3 seconds/month and is my favorite watch of all time. I have a Seiko Orange Monster (incredible lume), a Seiko Black Saw Tooth (even more incredible lume), a mint 1990 Seiko 7002 Pepsi diver, a Seiko Black Bullet diver, a Citizen Calibre 9000 minute repeater, a Citizen Stars and Stripes yacht timer, a cheap but well made Invicta Submariner, a Rolex SS Submariner (has never kept great time) and several other old Seikos, etc.
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July 25, 2008 5:46 a.m. Luke HalfDork
I really like this Motochron piece styled to look like the speedo of an old Porsche. Apparently they did a whole series of various classic car speedo faced watches.
http://www.rarewatches.net/hotproperty/property/VINTAGE-WATCHES/Motochron-Porsche/
The only thing keeping me from buying it, is the fact it looks too bloody hard to easily read the time on it.
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July 30, 2008 7:52 p.m. David S. Wallens Editorial Director
Yeah, I could see all the extra numbers being a little distracting. As for me, I'm still shopping. I can say that we have some more watch editorial in the works that you guys should dig.
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Aug. 7, 2008 6:56 p.m. Lennyseleven New Reader
Ive been lusting after a black Bell & Ross chronograpg watch I keep seeing in a few car magazines. Went into The Buckle today which carries Fossil watches and found one very close to that Bell and Ross for $50.
